Rabbi Eric Levy

Rabbi Eric Levy is the Director of Jewish Studies at the Katherine and Jacob Greenfield Hebrew Academy in Atlanta, and also teaches at Yeshiva Atlana High School. Rabbi Levy earned his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Touro College and his masters degree in Biblical Studies from Yeshiva University. He has rabbinic ordination from both Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt and Rav Zalman Nehemia Goldberg. He spent four years at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) and he served in the Israeli Army Tank Corps. Rabbi Levy’s online classes, including Daf Yomi and Bible, can be heard at http://www.ericlevy.com/Recordings/Recordings.htm

This Psalm begins “lamnatzeach, l’David mizmor,” “To the conductor, of David, a song.” As we saw previously, when a Psalm begins “l’David mizmor,” it means that G-d’s spirit rested upon David, causing him to sing (as opposed to mizmor l’David, in which David sang first, causing G-d’s spirit to rest upon him). David says that […]

David starts by saying that this Psalm is “for Yedusun.” Yedusun was the name of one of the Levite families who sang David’s Psalms, so this Psalm might have been composed with their singing in mind. David says that he will guard his mouth at all times, as if with a muzzle, so that he […]

David now returns to the subject of the illness he suffered as a result of his sins. (See Psalm 6, et al.) He asks that G-d not punish him in anger and rage. David’s symptoms are like arrows from G-d in him and he can feel G-d’s metaphorical “hand” pushing him down. Every part of […]

David says that we should “run our own race” and not compete with evil people. Don’t envy their wealth because they will be cut down like grass and then they’ll dry up. (Just like grass cannot continue to thrive when removed from the soil, people cannot long endure when they are disconnected from G-d, Who […]

In this Psalm, David is called the “servant of G-d,” for whom He has wrought victory. Victory over whom? There are different opinions, but the Radak and others say that it refers to the temptation to sin, the Yetzer Hara. The Yetzer Hara puts thoughts of sin in a person’s heart and there is no […]

David asks G-d to fight his enemies. He would like G-d to metaphorically take his armor and weapons and tell David, “I am your salvation.” David would like to see those who unjustly pursue him be ashamed of their hollow accusations and withdraw from him. They should disperse like chaff in the wind, pursued by […]

This Psalm was composed when David was on the run from Avimelech (also known as Achish) in I Samuel 21. David feigned madness so that the king would dismiss him as a harmless eccentric, rather than imprison or execute him as an enemy combatant. David says that he will constantly bless G-d for His kindness, […]

David tells the righteous to sing because of G-d; it is appropriate for them to do so. They should praise him with the kinor, which is a harp, and the neivel asor, which may be a ten-stringed instrument, or perhaps a wind instrument with ten holes. (“Asor” means “ten.”) There are other explanations; Rashi in […]

This Psalm is introduced as a “maskil.” The Talmud in Pesachim (117a) says that it refers to a form of praise that David would communicate through a spokesperson or an interpreter. In this Psalm, David says that the fortunate and deserving person is the one whose sins have been forgiven and “buried” by his merits. […]

This Psalm was composed by David while he was on the run from King Saul. In it, David says that G-d is his refuge. David hopes that, in return for his trust, G-d will not disappoint him. Even if David does not deserve salvation, he hopes that G-d will still provide it, since G-d is […]